


When the Day Met the Night

by HolleringHawk65



Series: Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Jason in Metropolis, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 22:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15010532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolleringHawk65/pseuds/HolleringHawk65
Summary: Clark is forced to cover a mysterious charity event that leads to the triumphant return of one of Gotham's elite.





	When the Day Met the Night

**Author's Note:**

> \- So Clark is around 24/25 and at the time of the beginning of the series, Jason is 21/22  
> \- Jason died at 18; he doesn’t come back to life until he’s 19-ish, spends some time with Talia before traveling around until after his 21st birthday

He was put on this charity event assignment because Perry’s pissed at him for one reason or another. Between writing and being Superman, he just couldn’t keep up with arguments and this punishment had been the result of some slight on his part.

It helped with his boredom that this fundraiser was, well, different. No one he had talked to seemed to know what it was even for, or who the identity of the host. He had looked around for bombs and other concealed weapons, but he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t find anything--they weren’t in Gotham, after all.

There was something still bothering him though--a sound somewhere in the background. A heartbeat, but it was _slow_ with its defined pauses.

He did the circuit for about an hour, talking to the guests about how they were invited, tried to figure out if anyone knows who was running the show here, and came up empty.

He bumped into someone, or someone into him. With all the people there--all rich, all well-known, from Metropolis, Gotham, and anywhere else of note--it was hard to tell the difference between a trip and a shove.

The man stopped and apologized instantly, smoothing out Clark’s suit as he did. “How clumsy of me. You’ll have to forgive me, I haven’t been to a party like this for quite a while.”

It was this man’s heartbeat that was so slow and measured, even as he talked to Clark in a situation that would usually make somebody’s heart rate pick up out of nervousness or embarrassment. It’s unnatural, just like the brightness of his eyes, but there’s little else that would make him abnormal. For all Clark knew about human hearts, it could simply be a defect or a disease of some kind.

“It’s not a problem, Mister…?”

He smiled mischievously, a man with a secret that he’s waiting to spill until just the right moment. “I’m not a liberty to tell you that, just yet. You’ll have to excuse me; I'll give you a quote later.”

He was intrigued, but knew better than to push eccentric millionaires; he also knows, thanks to Bruce, to keep an eye on them.

Speaking of, he was somewhat surprised that _no one_ from the Wayne family was there, though he thinks that he saw Selina a few times throughout the night.

The fundraiser had dramatically--and somewhat mysteriously--started exactly at sunset, though it wasn’t until ten o’clock that, despite various mini fundraisers throughout the event, they found out what--and _who_ \--they all were raising money for.

The midnight blue curtains on the stage opened up, revealing the man who had bumped into Clark. And he _was_ a man, not a single ounce of baby fat on his cheeks, and his suit was cut to fit his frame in _all_ of the right places.

He stepped up to a microphone with confidence and that same smile. “Well, hello to everyone who I haven’t the pleasure to speak to before now. You may be wondering why you are here and who I am. To begin with, I would like to say that I am your host, and don’t worry, this isn’t a hostage situation. All of the proceeds that are raised because of your generosity tonight are benefiting a new program that will help the homeless and impoverished of Metropolis by providing them with career training, clothes, and other basic necessities for a successful life.”

He rocked on his feet, a nervous tick, but his heart was just as slow as ever as he continued. “I’ll be honest: my program doesn’t have a name yet, but please don’t cancel your checks because hopefully my own name will be enough to stand on its own.” He grinned, bright and devilish now. “Some of you may have been wondering why I look familiar, but you couldn’t quite place it. Well, that’s because I’m Jason Wayne, and I decided that I would make Metropolis my new home.”

Clark was willing to bet that everyone in that room remembered Jason Todd-Wayne, Bruce’s first and only adopted son, as compared to his wards. They probably even remembered how Jason had mysteriously “disappeared” and Bruce had simply told everyone that he had left.

All the other members of press there were suddenly taking out their notepads and scribbling furiously; clearly they hadn't thought that Jason’s initial appearance on stage was of note. The whole time, his heartbeat was still at its same measured pace. Nonetheless, he looked relieved now, as if some weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“Thank you all for listening me tonight; I hope to see you all again soon and please, enjoy the rest of the night.”

Clark stood there even after Jason left the stage. Should he call Bruce? No, it looked like Selina might be doing that, with her ear to the phone as she left the ballroom. She surely wasn’t going after Jason, since he appeared right at Clark’s side in the next moment.

“Clark Kent of the Daily Planet, right?” Jason asked as he outstretched his hand. “Sorry for the mysteriousness earlier, I wanted everyone to know at once.”

Clark did take his hand, but as he did he almost said “How are you alive?” It probably would have let a lot slip; only a handful of people knew that Jason had die and surely the man himself was aware of that.

Instead he settled for “How are you feeling, Mr. Wayne?”

“Very excited for my foundation, as well as my new life here. As I’m sure you know, excitement also comes hand in hand with nervousness and anticipation. I’ll found my groove soon though, I think.” He smiled again, a kinder one this time. “You’re still relatively new to Metropolis, aren’t you?”

“I’ve lived here for a little over two years, but I’m still trying to find my way around sometimes. I try to go to a new place every week.”

“Maybe we can do some exploring together in that case. I haven’t been here for about four years and so much has changed.”

Clark was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to Bruce and how to explain that he couldn’t just abscond with Jason in the middle of a charity event. So when he said that, it took a second for Clark to realize with Jason’s tone and posture that he was… flirting?

“Oh.” Clark felt a blush spread to his cheeks and suddenly, for a split second, Jason looked unsure of himself. And he should not have, not really, because Clark thinks that gender is stupid and love is love it’s just that he was caught off guard by _Batman’s dead-not-dead son basically asking him on a date._ “I’d like that. Exploring with another person always makes it more fun.”

Jason relaxed again. “Great, I’ll email you my contact information. I should go talk to some other people, but I look forward to seeing you again.”

“Me too,” Clark said, smiling at Jason--if that’s who he really was.

\---

Clark knew that someone was sitting in his apartment before he even opened the door and based on the resting heartbeat, he had a pretty good idea of _who_.

He stepped through the door, “Batman” already on his lips.

But it wasn’t Batman--at least, he wasn’t in a suit. It was Bruce, dressed in a civilian disguise with faded jeans, a dirty coat, and beanie, which would explain why Clark hadn’t heard the Batmobile at all.

Bruce looked up at him, letting him see the red rimmed eyes that meant he’d either been crying or getting less sleep than he usually does. “Do you think it’s actually him? Selina wasn’t sure; she _wanted_ it to be him, because… but he’s been gone for so long Clark, how _could_ it be him?”

Clark sat down across from Bruce. It was surreal having the older man in his apartment, in his only two lounge chairs, when they had hardly ever talked to each other outside of league business, ever since they got on the same footing a year and a half ago. “His heartbeat is abnormal; it’s slow no matter the situation. His eyes are very bright, almost neon, and that’s through some kind of colored contacts. I don’t know enough about him--I’d never even known what he looked like outside of a suit before tonight.”

Bruce took a deep, shaky breath as he got up. “I should go find him and figure it out. He might be a clone who just _thinks_ he’s Jason and- and.”

“Bruce, I think you should just give him time to come to you. No matter what the case is, he’s probably been through a lot.”

“He’s not your son,” Bruce snapped. “Jason always had trouble expressing his emotions, or I was just bad at understanding them. If he really introduced himself as Jason _Wayne_ then he could be asking for help, for me to go to him.”

“Okay.” Clark wasn’t sure why Bruce came, if he had already come to this conclusion.

“What is he hates me?” Bruce said, quietly.

“Why would he?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment and then: “Because I stopped looking. I tore apart the debris and I couldn’t find his body and I just thought that my _son_ had been blown apart by the explosion, and that there was nothing to find. And then I couldn’t even avenge his death myself.”

Clark knew the whole story, though it had taken a while to piece all of the different parts together. Jason had run off to Ethiopia to find his birth mother, only for it to have been a trap set up by the Joker. Bruce had arrived too late to save him and the Joker was nowhere to be found, still missing to this day. From what Clark understood, all of the Family had been living under the hope that Jason had managed to somehow overpower the Joker and cause them both to die in the explosion.

(As a side note, Clark thought that it was pretty commendable of Bruce that he was more focused on Jason rather than the potential it opened up for the Joker’s aliveness.)

“You’re right, Bruce, he’s not my son. He’s yours, and you have to make a decision and accept the risks. Maybe he _is_ waiting for you, I don’t know.” He took a pause for a deep breath that his Kryptonian body doesn’t really need. “If I were in your position, I’d probably go to him. I’d like to think that I’d always prioritize family.”

Bruce nodded and headed to the door. “Thank you, Clark.”

He doesn’t feel like he did anything, but he nods in return. “Good luck, I guess.”

Bruce gave a little smile--almost exactly like one Jason had done earlier--before he walked out of the apartment like he owned it.

Now that he was thinking about it, Clark wondered if he owned the building.

He probably did.

\---

It was only a short time later that Clark received an email on his work account from a new address. Considering that the subject line was “Exploring Metropolis”, he knew who it was regardless.

_Hello Clark!_

__

__

_I’m free on Sunday if you are? I saw that one of the museums is having a speaker come discuss space exploration and the importance of it in this day and age. I’ve been off the grid for a while, so you might have to explain some things to me. I left my cell phone number at the bottom of the email if that’s more convenient for you._

_Jason Wayne_

Clark couldn’t keep himself from smiling as he created a new contact for Jason on his phone. Even though Bruce was concerned that he might be a clone, Clark had a feeling that this would turn out positively for everyone involved.


End file.
